This invention relates to the cooling dead plate mechanism found on glass forming machines commonly termed or known as "I.S." machines. I.S. machines now are made with as many as 10 sections mounted side by side and each section is provided with a cooling dead plate. The dead plate for each machine is generally in substantially abutting relationship to a single conveyor common to all of the machines and running adjacent each of the sections.
The conveyor may be a moving belt-type conveyor, with the structure of the conveyor such that it has sidewalls serving as supports for the belt. It was found convenient to close the bottom of these sidewalls and thus provide an elongated, in effect, manifold for air under pressure with the air then being conveniently available to each of the dead plate mechanisms by providing openings in the bottom of the conveyor structure and corresponding openings in a horizontal leg of the casting which will carry the air from the conveyor support to the dead plates. It has become common to make the casting for the dead plate and its connections to the conveyor bottom as a single overall casting which is bolted to the bottom of the conveyor.
The air coming from the conveyor support may be at a pressure of 25 lbs./sq./in. and the individual openings in the bottom of the conveyor support may be four equal-size rectangular openings of about 11/2 inches by 3 inches. Each opening is in registry with complementary openings formed in the mating surface of the horizontal leg of the dead plate casting.
When the air issues from the perforate dead plate to effect the cooling of the containers positioned thereon, it has sufficient velocity such that with the background noise of 85 dbA, it produces considerable noise of nearly 90 dbA.